Could AI Make Movies?

The news of late has been filled with great leaps forward in artificial intelligence. Recent forays into the arts have brought AI to mainstream attention, where most of this has ordinarily been utilized in business and takes place behind the scenes. From words to images, it generates headlines (in more ways than one) and makes global waves. So, could it possibly make a movie? Below, we discuss if AI could make movies, and if it can’t, how close it is to creating them.

Writing a Script

AI is yet to create a fully realized movie though it has created scripts. It is worth noting that text generation in AI is progressing rapidly. Programs like ChatGPT can create large swathes of text and make it extremely coherent. It can even replicate the pen of other writers, imitating their style and tone. PIA’s report on AI found that humans could not discern a quote written by an author of classic literature or AI itself in most cases. On average, just over 51% of people failed to spot AI quotes, even rising as high as 70% with some authors. 

So, could AI soon do the same for a script? It seems hard to imagine that it could not copy the narrative and plot points of some of history’s most famous directors. Even the most revered film creators have habits they fall into, be it a classic Spielberg adventure or a Ridley Scott blockbuster. Look at the most recent Marvel and DC superhero blockbusters and decide if they stick to a formula AI could replicate. In most cases, you would be hard-pressed to argue against it. 

Creating Moving Pictures

Regarding creating moving images on the screen, realism is not yet there unless the movies are animated. While the industry can already make fairly good motion capture using a hybrid AI and actor approach, films like Avatar still lack a real actor’s warmth and minute facial expressions. It has improved, but there is still some way to go. 

Where it could be used is in the realm of animation. Numerous AI animation generators have been used, primarily for marketing. Yet it would not be a stretch to get these to make full cartoons or movements for avatars. These could later be used in conjunction with other elements to create bigger, more grand scenes. It may not be like RiseAngles’s full AI utilization, but it would streamline the workload for many animators. 

AI Ethics

Many people are worried about what this means for jobs and the industry. On the one hand, it could put people out of work and flood the market with easily made, budget movies. Yet on the other, it could spark a revolution in creativity. AI only takes cues from what it already knows, and with it creating the most basic of movies, people will inevitably look for something else. It could herald a new age where movies are truly unique, pushing to make heart-warming, imaginative stories that AI cannot.